Upcoming Event: Field Hockey at VCU on September 28, 2025 at 1 p.m.
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1 p.m.
Field Hockey
at VCU
Friday, September 26
Syracuse, NY
6 p.m.
Duke University
at
Syracuse
Photo by: Duke Athletics
No. 7 Duke Travels to No. 6 Syracuse and VCU this Weekend
9/25/2025 11:53:00 AM | Field Hockey
Weekend Details
The Opening Hit
By the Numbers
78 - Career points for junior Alaina McVeigh, 18th in Duke history
35 - Career goals by McVeigh, 16th in Duke history and most since Rose Tynan (2015-18) had 43
16 - First-half goals for the Blue Devils this season
4 - Second-half goals by Duke in 2025
191:50 - Consecutive shutout minutes for the Blue Devils - spanning three-plus games
8 - Goals off 34 penalty corners this season for a 24 percent conversion rate
12 - Points for sophomore Julia Boehringer this season, nine more than she had in all 20 games last year
2 - Goals allowed by Duke in the first half this season
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After Seven Games
Top 10 Matchups      Â
Series Histories
Offensive Depth
Fast Starts
A Win Friday Would
A Weekend Sweep
Next Game
#GoDuke
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- Duke has a busy travel weekend, making the trip to Syracuse, New York for a matchup with the Orange before heading back south to take on VCU in Richmond, Virginia.
- Friday's game is set for a 6 p.m., start on ACC Network at J.S. Coyne Field. Duke assistant coach Jess Jecko returns to her alma mater and will be honored along with her 2015 teammates prior to the game for a 10-year anniversary of the NCAA Championship team.
- The Rams and Blue Devils square off at 1 p.m., Sunday with the game being streamed on ESPN+. Parking for Cary Street Field is along Cary Street. Â
The Opening Hit
- Duke begins its four-game road swing this weekend at Syracuse (Sept. 26) and VCU (Sept. 28). The Blue Devils are 5-2 overall, 2-0 in league action and 2-0 in road matches this season.
- Duke heads into the weekend ranked seventh in the NFHCA top 20 poll and 11th in the first edition of the RPI. The Blue Devils have six games remaining against RPI top-16 teams.
- Duke had a stellar start to ACC play, blanking Stanford and California by matching 2-0 victories last weekend. The Blue Devils have not allowed a goal for 191:50 and have allowed just three goals in the past six games.
- Senior Alaina McVeigh and sophomore Julia Boehringer lead the offensive charge with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Both have five goals apiece and are dangerous options on penalty corners.
- Duke remains on the road the following week, traveling to red-hot Virginia and James Madison squads. The Cavaliers are 6-0 and James Madison is 6-3 and coming off a 3-1 win at No. 8 Michigan.
By the Numbers
78 - Career points for junior Alaina McVeigh, 18th in Duke history
35 - Career goals by McVeigh, 16th in Duke history and most since Rose Tynan (2015-18) had 43
16 - First-half goals for the Blue Devils this season
4 - Second-half goals by Duke in 2025
191:50 - Consecutive shutout minutes for the Blue Devils - spanning three-plus games
8 - Goals off 34 penalty corners this season for a 24 percent conversion rate
12 - Points for sophomore Julia Boehringer this season, nine more than she had in all 20 games last year
2 - Goals allowed by Duke in the first half this season
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After Seven Games
- Duke is 5-2 overall with both losses coming against current top 10 teams – No. 1 Northwestern (0-1) and No. 5 Liberty (3-4). The Blue Devils are 2-0 in conference action and have won four games straight.
- Defensively, Duke is starting to hit its stride with three consecutive shutouts. The Blue Devils are tied for third nationally with three clean sheets while their 1.00 goals against average is ninth.              Â
- Alaina McVeigh paces the offense with five goals and three assists for 13 points. Right behind her is sophomore Julia Boehringer, who is having a breakout season offensively, with five goals and two assists for 12 points. She is highly effective on penalty corners. Sophomore Madison Beach has been excellent on set pieces and in the run of play with a team-best five assists.
Top 10 Matchups      Â
- Friday's contest pits No. 6 Syracuse versus No. 7 Duke, marking the 63rd top 10 matchup for the Blue Devils under head coach Pam Bustin. Duke is 27-35 in those meetings.
- In the previous 15 matches between the ACC foes that featured rankings [there were no polls in the fall 2020], six have been top 10 matchups. Duke is 1-5 in those meetings.
Series Histories
- Duke and Syracuse meet for the 18th time Friday. The Orange leads the series, 12-5, but the Blue Devils have won three straight, including last year's thrilling 1-0 shootout victory. This is Duke's first trip to Syracuse since 2022 - a 5-1 setback. The Blue Devils have not won at J.S. Coyne Field since Sept. 14, 2018 - a 1-0 triumph. Â
- Duke and VCU meet for the 16th time and second straight year. The Blue Devils are 10-5 versus the Rams and have won eight straight by an average of four goals. VCU's last win against Duke was a 2-1 triumph in Richmond during 1993 season.
Offensive Depth
- Duke has proven it has a wealth of scoring options with eight different players landing on the scoresheet. Returning leading scorer Alaina McVeigh has five of the 20 goals (25 percent) with Julia Boehringer (5), Maggie Kondrath (3) and Ashley Stockdale (2) also providing multiple goals. Through seven games last season, McVeigh had five of Duke's 11 tallies (45 percent).
- The Blue Devils have scored eight goals from penalty corner situations with Boehringer and McVeigh carrying the scoring load on set pieces.
Fast Starts
- The Blue Devils have come out strong in the opening halves, scoring 16 goals in the opening 30 minutes. Duke has six goals in the first quarter and 10 in the second. The second half is a different story, with just four markers in the final 30 minutes.
- Defensively, Duke has been stellar in the first halves, allowing only two goals with none coming in the first 15 minutes. Duke has allowed just one shot in the first quarter this season and only 11 in the first 30 minutes of the seven contests.Â
- The Blue Devils have been able to generate offense in the second halves with 34 shots and 19 penalty corners, but has struggled to capitalize.
A Win Friday Would
- Be Pam Bustin's 181st at Duke and 343rd overall
- Make Duke 3-0 in ACC play
- Give Bustin her 39th ACC victory
- Be Duke's second top-20 victory this season
A Weekend Sweep
- Give Pam Bustin 182 wins at Duke and 344 overall
- Make Duke 4-0 in true road contests this season
- Extend Duke's win streak to six games
Next Game
- Duke hits the road again next week with an ACC road trip to No. 3 Virginia and a non-conference matchup at James Madison. The Blue Devils return home for one game against Louisville, Oct. 10.
#GoDuke
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